The University of St. Thomas Center for Thomistic Studies will celebrate its 25th anniversary with a conference that will bring together experts from a number of fields – philosophy, theology, medicine, nursing, law, literature and art – to put forward a positive view of suffering in the divine scheme, of the importance of affirming life, of regarding dying as a natural process, and of seeking neither to hasten nor to postpone death.

• KEYNOTE SPEAKERS INCLUDE:
  Dr. Eduardo Bruera, M.D., Head of Palliative Care Unit at M.D. Anderson, Texas Medical Center, Houston, TX
• Teresa S. Collett , Professor of Law, University of St. Thomas, School of Law, St. Paul, MN
• Dr. Maureen L. Condic, Associate Professor, Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, University of Utah, School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT
• Dr. Patrick Lee, Professor of Philosophy, Franciscan University of Steubenville, Steubenville, OH
• Dr. Janet Smith, Fr. Michael J. McGivney Chair of Life Issues, Sacred Heart Major Seminary, Detroit, MI

CALL FOR PAPERS:
The Center for Thomistic Studies invites papers for “Suffering and Hope: an interdisciplinary conference on the ideas underlying the medical specialty of palliative care.”

Papers are invited from philosophers, theologians, medical and nursing practitioners, lawyers, experts in counseling, psychology and the social sciences, and all other areas of study which relate to this increasingly important medical specialty.

Papers should in general be suitable for a cross-disciplinary audience, though the presentation of some more specialist academic papers is also encouraged. For the purposes of oral presentation, papers should not exceed about 20 minutes of reading (about 2000 words). The Center aims to make the full contents of the Conference available on CD, with the consent of the author, and without prejudice to author’s copyright. It is also hoped to produce a paperback selection of the papers which have most interdisciplinary importance, again without prejudice. 

A title and abstract should be submitted before September 1st 2005. Full papers should be submitted before October 15th 2005 to:

Christopher Martin
Center for Thomistic Studies 
University of St Thomas
3800 Montrose Boulevard
Houston, Texas, 77006 U.S.A.

or by e-mail to martincf@stthom.edu.